Of course Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos thinks movie theaters are "outdated"

How does he know? Why, the struggling box office, of course. “What does that say? What is the consumer trying to tell us?” he asked, answering his own question: “That they’d like to watch movies at home, thank you. The studios and the theaters are duking it out over trying to preserve this 45-day window that is completely out of step with the consumer experience of just loving a movie.”

Don’t worry, guys. He’s doing it all for you. “Netflix is a very consumer-focused company,” he said. “We really do care that we deliver the program to you in a way you want to watch it.” And you don’t need that pesky “communal experience,” right? When asked if he thought filmmakers wanting to make films specifically for theaters was an “outmoded idea,” Sarandos responded, “I think it is—for most people, not for everybody. If you’re fortunate to live enough [sic] in Manhattan, and you can walk to a multiplex and see a movie, that’s fantastic. Most of the country cannot.”

He’s telling his directors the exact same thing. “I’ve tried to encourage every director we work with to focus on the consumer, focus on the fans,” he said. “Make a movie that they love, and they will reward you.”

It’s time to assemble a team, Tom Cruise. Sean Baker and Greta Gerwig can be the first two recruits.